ACT 3
[Enter SALANIO and SALARINO]
SALANIO
Now, what news on the Rialto?
Now, what’s the word on the street at the Rialto?
SALARINO
Why, yet it lives there unchecked that Antonio hath
There is a rumour going round that Antonio has
a ship of rich lading wrecked on the narrow seas;
had a ship, richly laden, wrecked in the English Channel;
the Goodwins, I think they call the place; a very
on Goodwin Sands, I think they call the place; it’s a very
dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcasses of many
dangerous and fatal sandbank, where the wrecks of many
a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip
a tall ship lie buried. That’s what they say, and this gossip
report be an honest woman of her word.
might turn out to be the truth.
SALANIO
I would she were as lying a gossip in that as ever
I hope this is just a lie, much like a woman
knapped ginger or made her neighbours believe she
chewing on ginger or making her neighbours believe she’s
wept for the death of a third husband. But it is
upset that her third husband died. But it is
true, without any slips of prolixity or crossing the
true, without being long-winded or anything other
plain highway of talk, that the good Antonio, the
than straight talking, that the good man Antonio, the
honest Antonio,--O that I had a title good enough
honest man Antonio…Oh, if only I had a title good enough
to keep his name company!--
to let me be in his company!...
SALARINO
Come, the full stop.
Come on, finish the sentence.
SALANIO
Ha! What sayest thou? Why, the end is,
Ha! What’s that you say? Well, when all is said and done,
he hath lost a ship.
he has lost a ship.
SALARINO
I would it might prove the end of his losses.
I hope it proves to be the last ship he loses.
SALANIO
Let me say 'amen' betimes, lest the devil cross my
I’ll say ‘Amen’ right now, in case the devil interferes with my
prayer, for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew.
prayers, for here comes the devil now disguised as a Jew.
[Enter SHYLOCK]
How now, Shylock! What news among the merchants?
Hello Shylock! What’s the news among the merchants?
SHYLOCK
You know, none so well, none so well as you, of my
You know as well as anyone about my
daughter's flight.
daughter running away.
SALARINO
That's certain: I, for my part, knew the tailor
That’s true: for what it’s worth, I knew the tailor
that made the wings she flew withal.
who made the costume that she ran away in.
SALANIO
And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was
And Shylock, for his own part, knew that his daughter was
fledged; and then it is the complexion of them all
mature, and it is in the nature of such people
to leave the dam.
to leave the family home.
SHYLOCK
She is damned for it.
She is damned for it.
SALANIO
That's certain, if the devil may be her judge.
For sure, because the devil is her judge.
SHYLOCK
My own flesh and blood to rebel!
My own flesh and blood has rebelled against me!
SALANIO
Out upon it, old carrion! Rebels it at these years?
Give over, old dog! Your ‘flesh and blood’ rebelling at your age?
SHYLOCK
I say, my daughter is my flesh and blood.
I mean my daughter is my flesh and blood.
SALARINO
There is more difference between thy flesh and hers
There is more difference between your flesh and hers as there
than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods
is between black jet and white ivory; more between your blood
than there is between red wine and rhenish. But
than between red wine and white Rhineland wine. But
tell us, do you hear whether Antonio have had any
tell us, have you heard whether Antonio has
loss at sea or no?
lost a ship at sea or not?
SHYLOCK
There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a
I’ve made another bad deal with him. He’s bankrupt,
prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the
reckless and wasteful, and now dare not show his face on the
Rialto; a beggar, that was used to come so smug upon
Rialto market. He’s a beggar now, but once he was all smug
the mart; let him look to his bond: he was wont to
amongst the traders. He has to honour his bond. He used to
call me usurer; let him look to his bond: he was
call me a greedy money lender. He has to honour his bond.
wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy; let him
He used to only lend money to Christian friends. He has
look to his bond.
to honour his bond.
SALARINO
Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take
Well, I’m sure that, if he loses, you won’t take
his flesh: what's that good for?
his flesh. What is that good for?
SHYLOCK
To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,
To use as fish bait. And if it helps nothing else,
it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and
it will help me get my revenge. He has disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
owes me half a million gold coins. He’s laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
mocked me when I’ve done well, scorned my nation, derailed
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
my deals, damaged my friendships, incited my
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
enemies. And what is his reason? Because I am a Jew. Does
not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,
a Jew not have eyes? Does a Jew not have hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Is a Jew not fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
the same food, hurt by the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
to the same diseases, healed by the same medicines,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, just like
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
a Christian is? If you cut us, don’t we still bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison
If you tickle us, don’t we still laugh? If you poison
us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not
us, don’t we still die? And if you do us wrong, can’t we take
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
revenge? If we are like you in everything else, we will
resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
behave like you. If a Jew does something wrong to a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
what does he do? He gets revenge. If a Christian does
wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
something wrong to a Jew, what should he do if he’s learnt by
Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you
the Christian’s example? Why, revenge. The evil things you
teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I
teach me, I will do in return, but more intensely than
will better the instruction.
you have taught me.
[Enter a Servant]
SERVANT
Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his house and
Gentlemen, my master Antonio is at his home and
desires to speak with you both.
would like to speak with you both.
SALARINO
We have been up and down to seek him.
We’ve been looking everywhere for him.
[Enter TUBAL]
SALANIO
Here comes another of the tribe: a third cannot be
Here comes another Jew. We couldn’t find a third
matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew.
one, unless the devil himself became a Jew.
[Exeunt SALANIO, SALARINO, and Servant]
SHYLOCK
How now, Tubal! What news from Genoa? Hast thou
Hello there, Tubal! What’s the news from Genoa? Have you
found my daughter?
found my daughter?
TUBAL
I often came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her.
I went to many places I heard she’d been, but couldn’t find her.
SHYLOCK
Why, there, there, there, there! A diamond gone,
Well, there, there, there, there! I’ve lost a diamond that
cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort! The curse
cost me two thousand gold coins in Frankfurt! The curse
never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it
of being Jewish hasn’t occurred until now; I never felt it
till now: two thousand ducats in that; and other
until now. I’ve lost two thousand gold coins, and other
precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter
very precious jewels. I wish my daughter
were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!
lay dead at my feet, with the jewels stuffed in her ear!
Would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in
I wish she were in a coffin at my feet, and the gold coins put in
her coffin! No news of them? Why, so: and I know
her coffin! You don’t have any news of her? OK, but I don’t
not what's spent in the search: why, thou loss upon
know how much I’ve spent to search for her: it’s loss upon
loss! The thief gone with so much, and so much to
loss! The thief has stolen so much, and I’ve spent so much to
find the thief; and no satisfaction, no revenge:
find the thief! And I’ve nothing to show for it, no revenge.
nor no ill luck stirring but what lights on my
The only bad luck around here seems to land upon my
shoulders; no sighs but of my breathing; no tears
shoulders. The only sighs are mine. The only tears
but of my shedding.
are those I shed myself.
TUBAL
Yes, other men have ill luck too: Antonio, as I
Well, yes, but other men have bad luck too. Antonio, as I
heard in Genoa,--
heard in Genoa…
SHYLOCK
What, what, what? Ill luck, ill luck?
Wait, what? Bad luck, bad luck?
TUBAL
Hath an argosy cast away, coming from Tripolis.
He’s lost a ship coming back from Tripoli.
SHYLOCK
I thank God, I thank God. Is't true, is't true?
I thank God, I thank God. Is it true, is it true?
TUBAL
I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck.
I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped from the wreck.
SHYLOCK
I thank thee, good Tubal: good news, good news!
Thank you, Tubal, good man. Good news indeed!
Ha, ha! Where? In Genoa?
Ha ha! Where? In Genoa?
TUBAL
Your daughter spent in Genoa, as I heard, in one
I heard your daughter spent, in Genoa, in one
night fourscore ducats.
night, eighty gold coins.
SHYLOCK
Thou stickest a dagger in me: I shall never see my
You stab me with a dagger. I will never see my
gold again: fourscore ducats at a sitting!
gold again. Eighty gold coins in one evening!
Fourscore ducats!
Eighty gold coins!
TUBAL
There came divers of Antonio's creditors in my
Some workers of Antonio’s creditors accompanied me
company to Venice, that swear he cannot choose but break.
to Venice, swearing he has no choice but to go bust.
SHYLOCK
I am very glad of it: I'll plague him; I'll torture
I’m very glad of that. I’ll pester him, and torture
him: I am glad of it.
him. I’m glad of that.
TUBAL
One of them showed me a ring that he had of your
One creditor showed me the ring that had been given him
daughter for a monkey.
by your daughter in exchange for a pet monkey.
SHYLOCK
Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my
Damn her! You’re torturing me, Tubal. It was my
turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor:
turquoise ring that Leah gave me when I was a bachelor.
I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.
I would not have swapped it for all the monkeys in the world!
TUBAL
But Antonio is certainly undone.
But Antonio is definitely bankrupt.
SHYLOCK
Nay, that's true, that's very true. Go, Tubal, fee
Well, yes, that’s true; that’s very true. Go Tubal, go and hire
me an officer; bespeak him a fortnight before. I
a policeman to work for me for two weeks. I
will have the heart of him, if he forfeit; for, were
will take his heart out if he cannot pay. Then, if
he out of Venice, I can make what merchandise I
he’s not in Venice any longer, I can do whatever business that I
will. Go, go, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue;
choose. Go on now, Tubal, and meet me at our synagogue.
go, good Tubal; at our synagogue, Tubal.
Go on good Tubal. Meet me at our synagogue, Tubal.
[Exeunt]
